Apparatus for mercerizing cotton piece goods and the like.



: M/ITNESSES w. T. & L. 1. CRAVEN, 0. 'H. YOUNG, F. H. & w. s. CLIFFE.

APPARATUS FOR MERCERIZING comm PIECE GOODS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 1913.

1.165.570... v I Patented Dec. 28, 191;).

3 SHEETS-Shh! l.

Fm. L

W. T. & L. LCRAVEN, C. H. YOUNG, F. H. & W. S. CLIFFE.

APPARATUS FOR MERCERIZING COTTON PIECE GOODS AND THE LIKE.

I APPLICATIQN HLED APR. 7| 1913. 1 1 16557 FIG-5.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

WITNESSES.

.T. & L. J. CRAVEN, C. H. YOUNG, F. H. 64 W. S. CLIFFE. APPARATUS FOR MERCERIZING COTTON PIECE 0000s AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7. I913.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEH 3.

1 I I I HH I I HH I I I I IJI I I I I I I I I I I I IH H I WW m I I I I l I I I I I I l l I I I I I l 1 Pym W IJESSES unrrn streams ratrnia OFFICE.

WILLIAM THOMAS CRAVEN, OF TLKLEY, LEWIS JACKSON CRAVEN, OF LEEDS, CHARLES HENRY YOUNG, 0F BRIGHOUSE. FRANK HORATIO CLIFFE, OF HIPPERHOLME, AND

WILLIAM STEAI) CLIFFE, OF LONDON.

ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR MERCERIZING COTTON PI [ECE GOODS AND THE LIKE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM THOMAS CRAVEN, LEWIS JACKSON CRAVEN, CHARLES HENRY YoUNc, FRANK I-IORATIO CLirrn, and WILLIAM S'IEAD CLIFFE, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing, respectively, at Ilkley, Leeds, Brighouse. Hipperholme, and London, in the county of London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Mercerizing Cotton Piece Goods and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mercerizing machinery, and the object of our invention is to construct a machine which will take up less room than the present mercerizing ranges, one that can be run one, double, or more drafts, is more easy to manage, and by improved means for holding the cloth tight on the rollers dispense with the clips and pins hitherto employed, obtain a better finish, and prevent the cloth piping, or any Waste of caustic soda.

According to our invention the cloth issues from the customary tensioning and .breadthening devices, and passesunder a guide roller to a caustic soda solution or bath within a tank or cistern. The cloth is passed through the solution by means of a series of guide rollers and nip rollers. The guide rollers are artially immersed in the caustic solution w ile each nip roller has a rubber or suitable elastic periphery and rests between and in contact with two of the guide rollers in such a manner that the Whole surface of the cloth is in contact With one or the other of these rollers. Before entering the caustic bath however the cloth or web passes over an extra nip roller resting upon the first guide roller, and then passes under and over respectively the guide rollers and nip rollers throughout this series.

Adjoining the caustic bath or tank is a second tank which is steam heated and sur mounted by a second series of iron rollers and elastic surfaced nip rollers, Where the caustic solution is partially Washed off the cloth preferablyby a number of jets or sprays of Water playing thereon near the nip of the first two or more pairs of rollers. Also a pressure roller rests upon the cloth as it passes over the nip roller situated between the tWo tanks.

In order to counteract any possibility of Specification of Letters Patent. l afgnfgfl D 28 1915. Application filed April 7, 1913.

Serial No. 759,532.

shrinkage in the cloth under treatment several of the nip and guide rollers in the second tank are corrugated or grooved with the concavities in one set of rollers more or less meshing with or arranged opposite the convexities in the adjoining or succeeding set of rollers so'that in passing under and over these rollers the cloth is stretched laterally and at varying points throughout its width, the pressure being adjusted as desired. Two grooved guide rollers are employed to each grooved nip roller, and in this case the cloth passes over the guide rollers and under the nip rollers, but before passing to the second or last pair of guide rollers the cloth passes under an intermediate guide roller which enables the second set of rollers to operate upon precisely the same surfaces as the first set. After leaving these grooved rollers the cloth passes under an intermediate roller and over and under two large tension cylinders with roughened surfaces also within this tank, and then between a further pair of nip and guide rollers and over another guide roller. From this roller the cloth passes over and under a series of rollers fixed Within a compartment in a third tank where the caustic solution is wholly washed out or removed. Upon leaving this conipartment the cloth now passes between a second pair of nip and guide rollers, the'nip roller having an elastic surface as before described, to a further compartment in said tank. A jet or spray of water playing on the cloth as it enters the nip of these last pair of rollers effectually removes any trace of caustic soda solution there may be left.

The second compartment in the third tank contains an acid bath and the cloth after being passed through this bath is passed be tween a further elastic surfaced nip roller and an ebonite surfaced guide roller and then passes to a third compartment containing clear water where it is finally washed. After havin the superfluous moisture or water extracted by being again subjected to the action of another pair of lelastic and .ebonite surfaced rollers it passes to an ordinary plaiting down device.

Description of (Zmwings.Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of our improved mercerizing range. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1 showing means for operating same, and cloth being run double draft. Figs. 3, 3 are similar parts roller 3 and then over and under a series of rollers 4, 5. These rollersare supported in bearings 6 at each side of a tank or cistern 7 containing a caustic soda-solution, and are driven by bevel gear 8 from a side shaft 9 operated by gear Wheel 10 driven by pinion 11 on engine crank shaft, or from any other suitable source. The bottom or guide rollers 5 are composed preferably of cast iron and are partially immersed in the caustic soda bath, while the nip rollers} have india rubber or other suitable elastic covered peripheries 12 and are carried in ad1ustable bearings 13, pressure being regulated by the.

screw'l-l and hand wheel 15. v A nip roller 4 rests in contact with and between two of the guide rollers 5 in such a manner that the web inpassing under and over these rollers is held in contact with same over its whole surface. One of these nip rollers similarly mounted rests upon the first of the guide rollers and the web A passes over this roller before enteringithe caustic bath.

Adjoining the tank or cistern-'7 is a second tank 16 which is steam heated and also surmounted by a second series of nip and guide rollers 4., 5 regulated and driven as before described, where the caustic solution is partly washed off the web in its passage by means of preferably a'number of jets or sprays of hot water or the "like from the pipes 17 playing on the same near the nip of the first two or more rollers 4 on entering the tank 16. Further an iron pressure roller 18 bears upon the web as it passes over the nip roller 4 situated between the tanks aforesaid. The pressure of this roller 18 is regulated by screw and hand ,wheel as before mentioned. 1 s

In order to counteract any possible shrinkage in the cloth under treatment several of the nip and guide rollers in the tank 16 are provided with corrugations or annular grooves 19, and the corrugations or the like in each set of nip and guide rollers are so arranged that the concavities in one set more or less mesh with or are opposite the 'convexities in the adjacent or succeeding set. The webs are thereby stretched laterally, the nip or pressure oe-I curring in varying positions across their entire width and is regulated by the means before described. lVhere an extra wide web or more than two webs is or are to be treated. the corrugations in these rollers will require to be formed upon the whole of their surfaces so as to operate over the whole width of rugated rollers preferably pass over the guide rollersand under the rollers 4, and in order to bring the same surface into contact with both of these nip rollers, they pass underan intermediate guide roller 20 situated between the two sets of guide rollers in bearings carried by the sides of the tank. Upon leaving the last of these corrugated -rollers the web or webs pass under a guide roller 21 and over and under .two large tension cylinders 22, 23, with roughened surfaces, also mounted in bearings and within the tank 16. These cylinders 22 23'take up any slack there may be in the web or counteract any tendency of the same to slip'and assist it inits traverse through the machine. The web or webs now pass between a further pair of nip and guide rollers and over guide roller '25v to a compartment 26 in a third tank 27 containing water where the caustic solution is wholly washed out or removed from the webs. The'web or websin traversing this compartment pass under and over preferably iron guide rollers 28 and the superfluous moisture is extracted upon their leaving said compartment by passing between another pair of nip and guide rollers aforesaid on their way to a second compartment 29 containing an acid bath. A series of jets or a water spray from pipe 34 playing on the webs as they enter the nip of the aforesaid rollers efiectually removes any {rzfice of the caustic solution'there maybe e t. r

The cloth upon entering the compartment 29 passes under and over preferably Wood guide rollers 30 and upon leaving such compartment is again subjected to a squeezing action by a. further pair of nip and guide rollers before passing to a third compartment 31 containing clean water-where in passing under and over a further set of wood guide rollers 32 it is finally Washed. Upon leaving compartment 31 the superfluous moisture is again extracted by the web or webs being subjected to the action of another pairof nip and guide rollers as aforesaid and then passing to the customary plaiting down device 33 the process i,scom pleted. The guide rollers 5 over which the web or webs pass upon leaving compartments 29 and 31 are preferably covered with ebonite upon their peripheries.

By these means the web or webs while containing any caustic likely to cause a shrinkage is or are kept tight on the rollers i, 5, and every part of the web or cloth is held in contact therewith by the particular arrangement of such rollers, and the tension rollers 22. 23. The web or webs is or are not released from such contact until the sis Ill

ma am caustic soda is weakened by the sprays of hot water or weak Washing from the pipes 17. Also before its release any possible shrinkage in the Web While in contact with the rollers 4, 5, is further counteracted or removed by the stretching influence of the corrugated section of rollers before described.

What We claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

lln a mercerizing apparatus the combination of a tank, a Series of guide rollers in said tank, intermediate rollers designed to hold the web in uninterrupted contact with the guide rollers, a second steam heated tank adjacent to the said tank, a series of c0rru-,

gated guide rollers on such steam heated tanlg adjustable corrugated stretching rollers adjacent to the corrugated guide rollers, tensioning rollers Within said tank between said stretching and guide rollers and the end of the tank, an adjoining tank containing Washing and acid compartments and squeezing rollers adjacent to the tank operating upon the web as it leaves each tank or compartment, means for passing the Web through the Washing and acid compartments, substantially as described.

lin testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WlLLlAM THOMAS CPAVEN. LE WlS JACKSON QRAVEN. CHARLES HENRY YUUNG. FRANK HQRATIU CLlFFE. lVllLLlAltl STEAD CLEFFE. Witnesses to the first four signatures:

ABAR REED, FRED HAMMOND. lVitnesses as to William Stead Glide:

GEO. V. HEARN, ll iilnmar B. Home. 

